STORIES FOR

YOUNG LEARNERS
(LGA 3103)
( 2ND WEEK 24/6 28/6 )

 We all need stories for our minds as

much as we need food for our bodies:
we watch television, go to the cinema,
theatre, read books, and exchange
stories with our friends. Stories are
particularly important in the lives of
our children: stories help children to
understand their world and to share it
with others. (Andrew. Wright, 1995)
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Importance of stories for

young learners
Learning about the world
Children learn about and make sense of
their world. They learn about their world
when books inform about or explain
various parts of it.
Can arouse the curiosity of children when reading about something, they
often seek to learn more about it by
requesting similar books or re-create
scenes from the book they have read
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Importance of stories for

young learners
Stories can provide meaningful content.
Children can understand their world better
through the reinforcement of books
They may experiencing or seen something
they do not fully understand.By learning
more about it in books, the young learners
are often better able to achieve an
accurate understanding.
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Importance of stories for young learners

Building positive attitudes

Develop positive attitudes about many things. It
is essential in order to develop positive selfesteem and see themselves as competent human
beings capable of caring and of being loved
Children need to develop tolerance for others
who may not share their beliefs or who may be
different from themselves in many ways
Need to develop a curiosity about learning and
life
Stories can be serve as models for civic
education
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 Self Esteem :
Literature can help children develop positive self-images
in a stressful world. Parental love is strong and usually
exists even when there is tremendous hardship.
Through books, children can identify with others like
themselves. They can see how others deal with similar
problems. By sharing a story with an adult, children can
be encouraged to talk about some of these issues.
Children can define their feelings and develop a sense of
self. Stories that mirror the childs situation or are at
least related to the situation can be chosen by a
perceptive adult.
Reading about others who are attempting to make sense
of a similar situation can bring hope. Learning that some
feelings are normal can enable children to understand
that they themselves are normal. They can learn that
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there is no need for guilt.

Curiosity about Life

Children possess a curiosity about the world
around them
Want to know about things and places,
different people and are proud of the things
they have learned.
Books keep introducing new and fascinating
topics and encourage children to ask more
questions and to seek more answers.
It is essential for adults to focus on sharing
appropriate stories that foster self-esteem, a
tolerance for others, and a curiosity about
life.
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Features of Childrens
Literature

Characters
the effective development of the
main character may be the single most
important element of the work(Brown
and Stephens, 1995)
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Characters
are who the story is about, and the
action revolves around them.
authors develop characters primarily
from:
1. the narrators description of characters
physical appearance and personality
2. other characters what others think of
characters and what others actions are
toward them
3. the characters themselves what they
think, what they say, and what they do.
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 Actions as we all know, speak louder than words,

and it is through actions that the most convincing
evidence about character is revealed (Russell, 1997)

Protagonist
the central character /main character must
be fully developed
Children could learn the characters many
traits
their strengths and weaknesses complex
characters or round characters also define as
dynamic
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Supporting characters
Less well developed than the main ones
Also known as flat characters , who
exhibit only one side of their personality
Often stereotypes, who possess only the
traits considered typical of their
particular group
Static, undergoing no change in
personality throughout the book
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Point of view
A books point of view is the perspective
from which an author presents a story
A perspective shaped by who is telling the
story, how much this narrator knows
An author must determine what point of
view to use because it will permeate the
entire books
Can be determined in the first page or two
and the author is consistent in using this
point of view throughout.
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First person
When the narrator is one of the
characters in the story and refers to
himself/herself as I and me
The reader will see events unfold
through the eyes and thoughts of the
narrator.
The author can reveal essential
information through other characters
as well
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Point of view
Alternating point of view
an author will write a story that is told in first
person accounts by two or more characters

Omniscient
are told in third-person narrative, in which the
narrator refers to all characters as he, she , it or
they
an all-knowing and all-seing voice that can relate
events that are occurring simultaneously
Readers are able to learn what all the characters
are doing and thinking, what has happened in the
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past, and even what
will occur in the future.

Point of view
Limited Omniscient
- The story unfolds through the viewpoint of
only one of the characters.
- The story told by the omniscient narrator
who enters the mind of a character and
reveals her or his experiences, actions,
speech, thoughts and history not told by
the character.
- The reader know only what that particular
character can see and understand
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Point of view
Objective
- the reader learns about characters only
through their actions and speech
- The narrator does not enter the minds of
any of the characters but rather takes a
reporters view , presenting only the facts
- Often used in childrens fiction

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Setting
where and when the story takes place
Every story occurs in some time period at
some geographical location (s)
Include : topography, climate and weather
when these are integral to the story
Play a significant role that has and impact on
every other aspect of the book
It may be inconsequential and barely
mentioned or it may not be mentioned at all
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Setting
Could be a realistic time and place
that the reader recognizes
Quite abstract in an imaginary world
with a time period that does not
correspond to earth time
Could cover a time span of only one
day or decades
Serves a major function in survival
stories in which the conflict is person
against nature
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Setting
Two types of setting:
Backdrop setting
- unimportant to the story
- the name is derived from traditional
theatre where flat, nondescript painted
scenery was dropped from the ceiling at
the back of the stage
Integral setting
- essential to the story
- the story could not have taken place anywhere
but in the setting specified by the author
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Plot
The sequence of events showing
characters in action
To keep the readers involved, the plot
must tell a good story
The lives of the characters in a book
should be more exciting or more
interesting than the readers lives

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Plot
Four primary types of plots
1. Cumulative
Most often found in traditional literature
and pattern books
Repetition of phrases, sentences, or events
with one new aspect added with each
repetition

2.Linear
Popular in realistic fiction and fantasy
Plot should be constructed logically not by
conincidence
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Plot
3. Episodic
Most often used in easy-to-read books or
transitional books
No central problem that permeates the
book
Good for children with short attention
spans or for children with limited reading
ability
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Plot
4. Circular
Have the same components as linear
plots, but the resolution or end of the
story shows that the characters are in the
same situation as when the story started
Story mapping an activity that will help
children follow and understand the
structure of a story
Can be done while children are reading a
book or with shorter books after they
finish
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Plot
Two elements used to move a plot along:
1.Flashback :

the narrator recounts an earlier event to give the reader

background information that adds clarity or perspective
to the plot but does not fit into the chronological flow of
the plotline
Flashback that explains important relationships or the
past history of a character will keep the reader from
getting bogged down in detailed descriptions or history at
the beginning of the book
Exposition device similar to flashback
- passages in which the narrator briefly tells
what has happened before the story opens
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2. Foreshadowing
opposite to flashback
-passages in which a forthcoming event is
hinted at.
-The author gives these clues to the readers
to prepare them for a coming event in the
story

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Conflict
The interaction of plot and character or
the opposition of two forces
Tension is a necessary result of conflict.
Without sufficient conflict and tension,
a book is dull; but with well-developed
conflict , the story will create suspense
sense of anxiety, because the reader is
uncertain of the outcome
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Four types of conflict:

character
character
character
character

against
against
against
against

self
another character
society
nature

One outcome of a good plot is that children are

better able to understand their own problems
and conflicts by reading about the conflicts of
the characters
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Theme

The theme of a book is its central idea,

the underlying message the author is
conveying to the reader
Include a significant truth, a valueladen statement, a broad and powerful
idea that has universal application and
the moral of the story

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Theme
To determine the theme of a book, ask
yourself these questions:
What is the underlying meaning or significance of
the story?
What was the authors purpose in writing the story?
What did the author say to me through the story?
What are the comments the author makes about
beliefs, fundamental truths, human nature, life,
society, human conditions or values?

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Style
Cannot be isolated from the words of the story and is often
challenging to detect
The manner in which a writer expresses his or her ideas to
convey a story
Permeates every sentence of the work and sets the mood of the
story
To determine the style an author used in a book, ask yourself
these questions:
What kinds of words and sentences did the author choose to tell
the story?
Was there any distinctive language, choice of words, or
sentence construction?
What mood did this create?
What effect might the author be trying to achieve
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Tone:
Involves the authors attitude towards the
books subject, characters and readers
Quite subtle and may not be easy to pinpoint
Childrens literature likely to have a didactic
tone
Developed through the authors choice of
words and through the way all the elements of
the story work together
Tone influences the meaning of a story, it is
important for children to grasp it in order to
comprehend the story
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Illustration

Important for young children

In picture books, the illustrations play a key
role in conveying the message of the story
Should be provided with high quality artwork
that builds an appreciation and love for art
Children have an openness of mind and
imagination to appreciate a wide variety of
art. They are not opinionated or biased
about one type of art or another
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Task
Individual
Identify the first book you recall reading.
Draw the cover and highlight what you
remember

Group
Identify and discuss the features of
children stories based on the books you
remember reading

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